Flores Azores: Tips on planning your trip

“Flores Azores: Tips on planning your trip” is the eighth installment of a series of nine blog posts about the Azores islands. The posts are meant to give you a detailed overview of each one of them to help you plan your trip, whether you decide to visit one, two, or all nine. If you have any questions or specific request, feel free to drop me an email and I’ll do my best to answer it or to put you in touch with the right contact.

About Flores

Perfect island destination for visiting the most Western tip of Europe and admiring untouched lagoons.

Unlike most of the other islands of the Azores, the natural landscape of Flores is relatively wild — eight lagoons practically untouched, wild rabbits that run around free in the unpopulated areas, small rivers, and waterfalls that continue to shape the island’s coast. For better or for worse, the island is not easy to reach or to tame, and perhaps that’s what makes it so appealing.

Sharing stories of pirate invasions with the neighboring island of Corvo and tales of shipwrecks, one could wonder if both the islands are doomed and not the warmest destination for strangers. But visitors do reach the island, and usually, leave speechless. Not because there is nothing to say, but because the memories of their trip will always speak much louder than mundane adjectives.

“Little Ireland”, “Little Switzerland”, “pink island”; whatever the expression people use to attempt a description, the island’s isolation, and beauty are said to change people’s perception of the world forever. Listed by the UNESCO as Biosphere Reserve since 2009, the diversity of the local fauna and flora is quite remarkable.

A photo posted by albertheavenue (@albertheavenue) on May 29, 2015 at 4:12pm PDT

Top things to do in Flores island

With plenty of small rivers and waterfalls to explore, canyoning is obviously popular right now. Hiking and guided boat trips around the island should also be part of your list of things to do when you visit.

Recommended Local Companies

Note: This is one of the smallest islands of the archipelago, with fewer options compared to the others, therefore I am listing all companies available.

Dislcaimer: prices may vary over time and faster than I can update them here. Please double check all prices on these companies’ official websites!

A photo posted by albertheavenue (@albertheavenue) on May 29, 2015 at 4:14pm PDT

Top cultural events in Flores island

Like everywhere else in the archipelago, the festivities of the Holy Ghost are strong here during the month of July. Also every year in Lajes, a 500-year-old town in the Southern part of the island, the locals celebrate those who left in search for a better life, typically in the United States and Canada. The “Festa do Emigrante” (“emigrant festival”, roughly translated) honors local culture, heritage, and gastronomy for those who return to their homeland in the Summer.

But the cultural life in the island is not limited to seasonal events and festivals. The local theater group, “A Jangada”, writes, produces, directs, and acts in light satirical plays, regularly — a particular Portuguese genre known as “Revista a Portuguesa” (“Portuguese review”).

Azores food: what to eat in Flores

Living on a very isolated island, where the weather’s mood swings often make you wonder if there will be any tree left standing the next day, boosts up your creative spirit. That’s exactly what you see in some of the local dishes — “algae patties” might sound like the newest trend in vegan cuisine, but when your resources are scarce you make do with whatever edibles you have around. And, believe me, those patties may not look like the most appealing dish you’ve seen in your life but they are 100% edible and strong in flavor.

Watercress soup, the famous taro root and sausage (similar to the other islands but different in seasoning), and fish-based recipes are common local dishes.

Note: there is a highly recommended family-owned restaurant in the village of Fajazinha that serves traditional cuisine, prepared with a lot of love and care. The view is also breathtaking and the restaurant is called, appropriately, “Por do Sol” (“Sunset” in English).

Local souvenirs

If you can manage to travel back home with some fresh fish, local cheese and a container of handpicked wild blueberries or guava tree fruits (“araçás”, in Portuguese), then I wouldn’t recommend any other souvenirs. But, of course, this is not always possible, and I have a feeling they wouldn’t taste as great outside their local environment (except the cheese; the cheese tastes great anywhere in the world).

For something a little less perishable, try to find traditional flowers made from fish scales or from the pith of hydrangeas.

Where to stay in Flores island

Please note that I’m not listing ALL accommodation possibilities. These are tailored suggestions that fit the editorial tone of this blog. To narrow down the list of places to stay on the island, I used the following criteria:

A 18th Century village, abandoned in the 1960’s when the Islanders began to migrate to North America, it was recovered and refurbished over time by a local family of entrepreneurs. Secluded but close enough to civilization to go from a resting state of mind to the desire to explore the island. Each house is named after the original owner and pairs traditional traits with modern amenities. Rated as Excellent on TripAdvisor.

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About Tripper

Hi, I’m Sandra!

I am a Portuguese freelance web content writer and travel blogger born in the Azores and currently based in Lisbon. Since 2014 I’ve been blogging about travel, culture, and the people I meet in between here at Tripper, a blog about sustainable cultural tourism.

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